Let the sun shine in

About 130 guests were greeted by "Frozen" characters Olaf and Elsa Nov. 14 at A Very Special Art Show, benefiting the Sunshine School and Development Center in Rogers.

This year's event, "Frozen" Winter Wonderland, raised about $8,000, said Cyndi Bilyeu, executive director of the Sunshine School and Development Center. The proceeds will go toward the preschool and community support services, she said. The art show was held at the school and included a silent auction featuring art by local artists and Winter Wonderland themed art by Sunshine School students, hors d'oeuvres by K-MAC Catering and Catering Unlimited, a wine tasting by E. & J. Gallo and art available for purchase by artists in the school's hallways.

"One of our big goals with the art show is to introduce people more to what we do. That's why we have it in our facility. We consider it as much a friend-raiser as we do a fundraiser," Bilyeu said.

Founded in 1958 by parents of children with disabilities, the Sunshine School is still best known for its preschool program, which serves about 130 children, said Mike Fontana, director of development. But, he added, the nonprofit is "really expanding" into community-based services for adults, explaining the recent "Development Center" addition to the organization's name. That growth includes support for adults with special needs who might require assistance keeping an apartment or getting and retaining a job.

"The community-based (staff members) do a little bit of everything," he said, estimating that about 40 adults are currently being served.

The Sunshine School also offers two programs that assist parents directly: Parents as Teachers, an early learning program for families with children up to age 5, and six weekend respites a year, providing enrichment outings for those with disabilities to places such as Roaring River State Park in Missouri or Mount Sequoyah Retreat Center in Fayetteville and rare time off for their caregivers.

Students also contributed their own talent to the Very Special Art Show, donating about 20 artworks to the 60 pieces sold at silent auction. Professional artists who sold art in the school's hallways contributed 30 percent of their sales to the school, Bilyeu added.

A cake provided by Harps featured Olaf as an artist.